Ottawa

Friendly fire

Rick Hillier, whose “decade of darkness” quip is a favourite reference of the Harper government, says the Conservatives will “destroy” the Canadian military if they go ahead with cuts they are reportedly considering.

“You try to implement that report as it is and you destroy the Canadian military,” Hillier told CTV’s Power Play on Tuesday. “You simply can’t take that many people out of command and control functions…

“There are some areas where you can do some cuts and the Canadian Forces will have to pay a price, but to implement that report would not be wise,” Hillier said in the interview. “If you take a billion dollars out, you will lessen military operational capability.”

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